The Overruling Sovereignty of God

God's foreknowledge is exhaustive and true because God is holy, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  God knows all things actual, and He knows all things possible, and He knows all these things perfectly.  He knows all things that can possibly be known, including all future events.  This exhaustive knowledge is something that is unique to God alone, it is intrinsic to His very nature, it is in part what it means to be God.

In Isaiah 40-49, is speaking to Israel and firmly explaining to them about the worthlessness of their idols that they have been worshiping.  The point of these passages is to show the supremacy of God, as God, above all other "gods."  Now it is in this passage God is very clear about His ability as God to know all things, including all possible future events.  He says, 

"Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen.  Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome.  Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods" (Isaiah 41:22-23).

And then, 

"Remember the former things, those of long ago;  I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

What God is making plain is that He knows perfectly all events, including all future events.  Now why or how does God know these things?  He knows them because He alone ordains them to be and then see to it that they come to pass, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  "  God is not just simply able to predict these things because He is so observant or has exhaustive knowledge of the world and all the creatures (including man) that He has created, but God knows all future events and able to predict them ahead of time because He has sovereign reign and infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge and He decrees what must come to pass.  This is what He says at the end of Isaiah 46:10, "I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."  God is clearly saying that He alone has absolute rule and reign over every aspect of the universe, at every moment and at all time, and this most certainly includes all events in human history and the heart of every person.

Consider what Proverbs says about the overruling sovereignty of God concerning the intentions and plans of  finite man...

• "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
• "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (Proverbs 16:1).
• "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
• "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Prov 21:1)

Every plan by a created being is subject to be overruled by the will of God.  God knows all things perfectly because God has ordain everything according to the counsel of His will.

• "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
• "We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11).
• "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).

Application:

1. God's sovereignty confronts and defeats human pride.  We Americans are pound of our independence and so in our sin we believe that somehow we are independent from God.  That God must submit to our will and that He must do what we ask.  We sinfully believe that somehow God cannot act unless we give Him permission, that God cannot save unless we tell Him that it is okay.  This simply is not true.  God is sovereign and He will  have mercy on whomever He wills and He will harden whomever He wills "What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires" (Romans 9:14-18).

2.  What God has promised, God is able (and will) keep.  This is why Paul says, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).  And why he urges us to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) because in the very next verse he says, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  And why he prays in "now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (1Thessalonians 5:23-24).

3.  We ought to remain bold and confident in the face of suffering because God is sovereign over all things including our sufferings. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

4. God will accomplish His mission.  His saving grace, His glorious gospel will be spread among all peoples, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).

 Amen!